Discover Inspiring Workshops for Your Homeschool Journey
Browse our carefully curated workshops designed to empower homeschool families. Find detailed information to select sessions that align with your educational goals and enhance your teaching experience.
Friday, June 12
General Session – 9am
Beyond Textbooks: Nurturing the Whole Child in Your Homeschool
Kathy Eggers
Date: Friday @ 9am
Location: Auditorium
Homeschooling goes beyond academics. Discover how to cultivate your child’s intellectual, emotional, social, and physical well-being, fostering resilience, creativity, and a lifelong love of learning. We’ll explore practical strategies to integrate character building, life skills, emotional intelligence, and diverse experiences into your homeschool journey, ensuring your child thrives in every aspect of life.
Workshops – 10:30am
Outdoor Survival: How to survive and thrive in Christ (for teens and parents)
Curtis Whatley
Date: Friday @ 10:30am
Location: HH 103
Curtis Whatley leads a week long Survival camp for teens where they learn how to survive in the wild and thrive in Christ. Through this session he will explain key lessons for teens and their parents-taken from over 25 years of studying the skills it takes to survive in the wild and relating them to their relationship and dependency on Christ.
Classical Education for a Restful Homeschool
Aimee Smith
Date: Friday @ 10:30am
Location: HH 109
What comes to mind when you think of classical education? Perhaps you think of ancient men in togas, dusty old books in Latin, or a rigorous education for the academic elite. After homeschooling with a classical, Christian education for nearly twenty years, I have discovered something quite different. This model of education has equipped my four students for very different life callings, and it has led me to a place of rest as a homeschool teacher. I’m confident my children are prepared for their future despite the gaps I left in their education, and I’m equipped to teach them without spending hours in lesson preparation. In this session, we’ll discuss both the practical basics and the ideal vision of classical education. Come learn how this approach can be a good fit for any homeschool family so you too can homeschool from a place of rest.
Life After Homeschool
Irene Tucker
Date: Friday @ 10:30am
Location: HH 101
Irene and her husband Gus have graduated three of their five children and are embracing what life after homeschool looks. She will share some of her insights and encouragement to the rest of us to embrace the next adventure, wherever God leads us.
Homeschooling Special Needs
Debbie Landry
Date: Friday @ 10:30am
Location: HH 104
Workshops – 1:30pm
The Early Years: The Science-Backed Benefits of Play for Brain Development
Kathy Eggers
Date: Friday @ 1:30pm
Location: HH 109
Play isn’t just fun, it’s a powerful tool for building strong, healthy brains! In this session, parents will explore the fascinating science behind how play fosters critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity, and emotional regulation. Learn practical strategies to integrate impactful play into your homeschool routine, setting your child up for lifelong success.
Being Intentional As We Parent through Hard Things
Curtis Whatley
Date: Friday @ 1:30pm
Location: HH 103
Trials and seasons that are hard are inevitable. We as Christian parents must be prepared to help lead our children through these hard seasons. By being grounded in Christ, we can search for the good and what He is teaching us even amidst the trials. Curtis will explain how being intentional about parenting through hard seasons, helps to develop a strong and resilient generation.
Help! The High School Years are Coming
Jenny Bartz
Date: Friday @ 1:30pm
Location: HH 101
Many homeschooling families choose to put their high school students back into public or private schools. Jenny will speak about the benefits of continuing to teach them at home. She will help you navigate understanding high school transcripts, diplomas, credits, and curricula choices. Stay the course, you won’t regret it!
Know Your Why
Kristy Trent
Date: Friday @ 1:30pm
Location: HH 104
If you are exploring homeschooling, or are struggling with doubts or fears, you will want to come hear Kristy talk about understanding WHY you are doing this crazy thing is important. A clear “why” serves as a compass for daily decisions and sustains motivation through the difficult days that are bound to come.
General Session – 3pm
Grace for the Grind of Homeschooling
Christina Garrett
Date: Friday @ 3pm
Location: Auditorium
In this session Christina focuses on helping homeschool moms embrace their mission, and equipping them to lead well in their home and other ministry spheres.
Saturday, June 13
General Session – 9am
Fatherhood Engineered (for Dads)
Jeremy Fielding
Date: Saturday @ 9am
Location: HH 101
Fatherhood is intentional. Jeremy Fielding talks about his experiences, while relating fun and challenging dad stories from his life and the lives of other dads. His goal is to help you be a better dad and provide examples of how to do that. He does not have all the answers, but his session will tell you what works or doesn’t work in his experience.
Embrace Your Calling (for Moms)
Christina Garrett
Date: Saturday @ 9am
Location: HH 109
Over the last 11 years Christina Garrett has been honored to support thousands of brilliant and ambitious mothers around the globe with life-changing strategies to organize their busy worlds. Her clients are family-focused, love Christ, and love the work they do.
Workshops – 10:30am
Developing Strength, Spiritually and Physically
Jonathan Young
Date: Saturday @ 10:30am
Location: HH 101
Jonathan Young’s distinctions include his physical strength and mental toughness in his two Survivor competitions. He wants to pass along some of the lessons he has learned through those experiences. Young Strength is a movement about giving your best to be the best you can be, not for yourself but for others. There is a connection between spiritual, mental and physical strength; they should work in unison to reach your God-given purpose.
What Every Mother (and Father) of a Preschooler Needs to Know
Kathy Eggers
Date: Saturday @ 10:30am
Location: HH 109
Your child’s early years are fleeting, yet profoundly impactful. This essential talk for parents will reveal how the seemingly small moments and choices you make today are actively shaping your child’s future memories, self-perception, and worldview. We’ll explore the science behind early childhood memory formation and offer practical, heartwarming strategies to create a rich tapestry of experiences that foster joy, resilience, and a strong foundation for a lifetime of learning and connection. Bring some tissues as we uncover how your presence and intentionality right now makes all the difference for tomorrow..
Making Your Family a Team for Christ
Curtis Whatley
Date: Saturday @ 10:30am
Location: HH 103
Developing an effective team requires an intentional plan. Intentionally focusing on the fact that we are all on the Lord’s team, helps to give a family direction and purpose. Curtis will speak about how to lead your family as a team with a shared eternal purpose. He will discuss leadership, recognizing the different stages of a team, and focusing and developing the team mindset.
Homeschool Responsibly
Kristy Trent & Harriet Rand
Date: Saturday @ 10:30am
Location: HH 104
Kristy and Harriet will offer a practical, layperson view of what it means to homeschool legally in Alabama with additional guidance in what it means to return to public school, participate in public school sports, and pursue dual enrollment and other post-graduation goals. There is no reason to stumble through this topic. You can know how to homeschool and protect your family’s freedoms and future.
Workshops – 1:30pm
Play Beyond Preschool
Kathy Eggers
Date: Saturday @ 1:30pm
Location: HH 109
As homeschoolers move past the early years, how can we continue to harness the incredible power of play? This talk delves into how intentional, age-appropriate play experiences are not just fun, but essential for fostering advanced cognitive skills, innovation, and resilience in your older children. Learn how to integrate “big kid” play – from strategic games and creative projects to real-world exploration and collaborative challenges – to enhance critical thinking, solidify complex concepts, and support emotional well-being, ensuring a vibrant and effective homeschool journey.
From Idea to Reality: How Things Are Designed and Made
Jeremy Fielding
Date: Saturday @ 1:30pm
Location: HH 101
The phone in your pocket, the shoes on your feet, the games you play, and the AI tools you use all began as someone’s idea. How do you take an idea and make it a real thing in the world? Join mechanical engineer Jeremy Fielding for a behind-the-scenes look at projects he has built himself including robots, ai, and even power tools. You will learn how products, machines, software, and technology are designed, built, programmed, and manufactured. We’ll explore the creative and technical sides of engineering and discover how today’s students can become tomorrow’s inventors, designers, and problem-solvers.
A Simplified Strategy for Homeschool Scheduling
Aimee Smith
Date: Saturday @ 1:30pm
Location: HH 103
You constantly revise your schedule to squeeze in all the necessary events and tasks, yet your task list remains unchecked and you feel like you’re running on empty. You crave a few hours or a few days to catch up, slow down, and enjoy your homeschool. In the midst of a busy culture, perhaps we need a fresh approach to planning our days. Come learn a simplified strategy for scheduling that will help you focus on what matters most as you strengthen family relationships and cultivate a healthy learning environment so you can enjoy your homeschool days.
Godly Leadership for Administrators and Directors
Harriet Rand
Date: Saturday @ 1:30pm
Location: HH 104
A workshop for anyone in homeschool leadership, whether it is a church school, co-op, or other kind of community. Harriet brings a wealth of experience to the group and will be available for Q&A afterwards.
General Session – 3pm
Lessons from the Island: A Conversation with Jonathan Young
Date: Saturday @ 3pm
Location: Auditorium
Jonathan Young joins Homeschool Alabama board president Gus Tucker on the stage to discuss his experiences on Survivor 42 and 50, and how his faith has impacted his life.
